Turkish warplanes have pounded suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq, a few days after Baghdad announced it intends to end Ankara’s military presence in the country.

According to sources in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, the Turkish cross-border strike on Saturday caused no casualties, but inflicted damage on the farmlands of Sidkan region, north of Arbil.

A member of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) confirmed the attack, saying Turkish jets pounded several targets in the Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq but no PKK members or Turkish civilians were killed in the airstrike.

FSA TAKE SYRIAN ARMY BORDER POSTS NEAR TURKISH FRONTIER AND CAPTURE ASSAD’S COUSIN IN HOMS

Despite another day of heavy shelling and aerial attacks on their positions by Government forces, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) scored some notable successes against the Assad regime yesterday. [link to www.petercliffordonline.com]

Army Watch Tower Now in FSA Hands

In north-western Syria in Idlib province, very near to the Turkish border, the FSA took control of the village of Khirbet el-Jouz where the Assad army had previously had an army post.

40 Syrian Army soldiers, including 5 officers, were reported killed in the battle and 9 FSA fighters, in a fight which lasted 12 hours. Khirbet el-Jouz is the location of the Syrian Army tower post visible from Turkey seen in videos published on YouTube last year eg.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Syrian state TV says soldiers have clashed with two armed groups that infiltrated from Lebanon, killing several of them.

The clashes took place in the suburbs of the central city of Homs, which is near the border. Syrian forces chased the groups back into Lebanon, the TV reported on Sunday.

The TV report said the clashes erupted late Saturday. No other details were immediately available.

Also Sunday, Syrian troops pressed their offensive to retake rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo, Homs, towns around the Syrian capital of Damascus and southern villages on the border with Jordan, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,

The group said there were casualties in Sunday's fighting, but it did not give figures.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Syrian state TV says soldiers have clashed with two armed groups that infiltrated from Lebanon, killing several of them.

The clashes took place in the suburbs of the central city of Homs, which is near the border. Syrian forces chased the groups back into Lebanon, the TV reported on Sunday.

The TV report said the clashes erupted late Saturday. No other details were immediately available.

Also Sunday, Syrian troops pressed their offensive to retake rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo, Homs, towns around the Syrian capital of Damascus and southern villages on the border with Jordan, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,

The group said there were casualties in Sunday's fighting, but it did not give figures.

Quoting: DoomneT

So now lebenon are joining the party? Hizbollah is not going to stand for that!!

Residents reported hearing a huge explosion that rattled the Syrian capital just after sundown Sunday. Another explosion was heard shortly after the first, but the nature of that blast was not immediately clear.

A Syrian government official told The Associated Press the first blast was caused by a car bomb in the Fahameh district near police headquarters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, said the explosion damaged nearby cars and buildings. He did not say whether the police headquarters was among them.

But opposition members painted a different picture of al-Hameh, saying forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad "carried out a massacre in the city." The bodies of 30 people were found "field-executed," according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.

Damascus still needs a bit more time to be cleansed. I was talking about very succesful Syrian army operations in Homs and Al Quseir. Rebels will probably shell Turkey more the next days, time is running out for them as it seems.

Damascus still needs a bit more time to be cleansed. I was talking about very succesful Syrian army operations in Homs and Al Quseir. Rebels will probably shell Turkey more the next days, time is running out for them as it seems.

Damascus still needs a bit more time to be cleansed. I was talking about very succesful Syrian army operations in Homs and Al Quseir. Rebels will probably shell Turkey more the next days, time is running out for them as it seems.

Quoting: insertfunnyusername

I haven't found an English language link from today....

Doesn't mean it isn't happening...

Quoting: DarbyDoom

Yeah, you probably won't find an English yet, this info comes from a personal source of mine. There is a Greek minority and a Greek-Orthodox patriarchate with about 2 million adherents in Antioch, so we get regular updates here.

Damascus still needs a bit more time to be cleansed. I was talking about very succesful Syrian army operations in Homs and Al Quseir. Rebels will probably shell Turkey more the next days, time is running out for them as it seems.

Quoting: insertfunnyusername

I haven't found an English language link from today....

Doesn't mean it isn't happening...

Quoting: DarbyDoom

Yeah, you probably won't find an English yet, this info comes from a personal source of mine. There is a Greek minority and a Greek-Orthodox patriarchate with about 2 million adherents in Antioch, so we get regular updates here.

Quoting: insertfunnyusername

NY Times - 1 hour ago -

Intense fighting also broke out on Sunday in Syrian villages near the border crossing that leads to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, according to Syrian television and antigovernment fighters and activists. Syrian television said that security forces battled armed groups that entered the country from Lebanon near the town of Qusayr.

Abdullah, a rebel fighter, said in an interview that Syrian security forces based in the Christian village of Rableh were fighting insurgents based in a nearby Sunni Muslim village, Zira’a. The account squared with the accounts given by Syrian refugees reaching Lebanon, who have said that villages in the area are being divided by the conflict. Many rebel fighters fleeing the repeated government offensives in Homs have gone to Qusayr.

Damascus still needs a bit more time to be cleansed. I was talking about very succesful Syrian army operations in Homs and Al Quseir. Rebels will probably shell Turkey more the next days, time is running out for them as it seems.

Quoting: insertfunnyusername

I haven't found an English language link from today....

Doesn't mean it isn't happening...

Quoting: DarbyDoom

Yeah, you probably won't find an English yet, this info comes from a personal source of mine. There is a Greek minority and a Greek-Orthodox patriarchate with about 2 million adherents in Antioch, so we get regular updates here.

Quoting: insertfunnyusername

NY Times - 1 hour ago -

Intense fighting also broke out on Sunday in Syrian villages near the border crossing that leads to the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, according to Syrian television and antigovernment fighters and activists. Syrian television said that security forces battled armed groups that entered the country from Lebanon near the town of Qusayr.

Abdullah, a rebel fighter, said in an interview that Syrian security forces based in the Christian village of Rableh were fighting insurgents based in a nearby Sunni Muslim village, Zira’a. The account squared with the accounts given by Syrian refugees reaching Lebanon, who have said that villages in the area are being divided by the conflict. Many rebel fighters fleeing the repeated government offensives in Homs have gone to Qusayr.

You found something! Key to these operations is to cut the armament the rebels are getting from Lebanon region, pretty successful so far, 100+ of rebels killed, approx. 40 only in Qusayr where their leader was a rebel from Lebanon. Rableh had a very very tough time about a month+ ago, they were trapped inside their village with other christians from nearby villages for 2 weeks without food and medical supplies, till Syrian army managed to end the siege, hope things are not that bad this time.

Damascus still needs a bit more time to be cleansed. I was talking about very succesful Syrian army operations in Homs and Al Quseir. Rebels will probably shell Turkey more the next days, time is running out for them as it seems.